Over the past seven years, the cultural scene in Alexandria has been hit with a vivacious energy incited by the Creative Forum for Independent Theater Groups.
With a LE 2 ticket, the forum’s performances have attracted Alexandrians interested in theater and dance, offering them an outlet to experience contemporary art works of different nations from Europe and the Mediterranean. Teens from various backgrounds have flocked to performances that offer new aesthetics and perspectives that differ considerably from conventional theater.
Dance transcends the limitations of verbal language, providing a primordial, physical experience. The Creative Forum’s dance performances rooted in body movements and the physical are more accessible than language-based performances that may require translation.
One of the biggest crowd-pleasers this year was “Entre Temps created by the young Lebanese duo Khouloud Yassine and her brother Khaled Yassine. The piece contemplates time and its relationship with the human body. The female solo performer explores the limitation of movement of each of her limbs, reflected in multi shadows on colored screens on stage.
Khouloud Yassine told Daily News Egypt that she recieved theater training in Lebanon, and dance schooling in “Paris 8 before she decided to create her own choreography. “This is the second collaboration between me and my brother Khaled. We co-create the work based on his music compositions.
The invigorating beats of Khaled Yassine’s percussions spiced the performance with a distinct flavor. Almost all sequences start with a nostalgic oud solo, then use multi-layered percussions that the dancers play with and against.
The choppy body movements paradoxically create a sense of fluidity rather than fragmentation. Each dancer’s focused face emphasizes the sense of quest that underlines the performance.
The most exciting aspect of the performance is the visuals of Fadi Yeniturk. The simple set design composed of a partition screen, partly covered with yellow material stage left and the uneven triangle of blue material on the floor and stage right, are brilliantly lit to show both the dancer’s body accompanied with multiple shadows, some in sharp focus, others hazy. The lighting produced some truly memorable sculpted images.
The Italian performance “The Third Tea Lady plays with the expectations of the audience, offering some playful contemporary dance sequences. This Arte’ Danza’s performance’s overture was striking in its simplicity and freshness. Nine female dancers hold a big piece of black fabric which covers most of their bodies, showing only their shoulders and feet.
The group creates a tongue-in-cheek movement: one woman begins to move her legs, taps the next woman who starts to move, then the following one, till the end of the line. When all the legs are moving, the last dancer moves her arms, touches the next woman who moves her arm as well and so on, then they follow with a sequential head movement.
The simple movement and sardonic dancing explore the physicality of the female body, with a humor and wit that challenge traditional presentations and representations of women on stage.
Another dance number that met with a lot of buzz was the Egyptian/French production “Open Doors. This performance was the outcome of a two-year contemporary dance workshop directed by Laurence Rondoni for up-and-coming Egyptian dancers and choreographers. Each of the 12 young dancers presented a short sequence of their own choreography. Most of them used their bodies to tell stories about their hopes, frustrations and dreams.
While some of them relied on multi-media presentations; others opted for words.
Saad Samir’s lighting played an integral part in showing the depth of movement and complex emotions of performers, unifying the short pieces into an overall dance piece.
The Polish Silesian Dance Theater production “Dreamtime Returns in a Heavy Rain did not enjoy as much popular appeal.
The piece credits its inspiration to “Second Life, the 3-D virtual world where users socialize, connect and even conduct virtual business online. Attempting to engage with the notion of imagined society and sensed experience did not translate well on stage; the human emotions were lost in the distorted cyber sounds and unclear projections.
Regardless of the quality of the performances, one thing is evident from the large young turnout; the Creative Forum has succeeded in cultivating an audience with wider cultural experiences and an awareness of new dance and theater trends.
